SUNY Potsdam weekly sports recap

POTSDAM - The winters sports season came to a close for SUNY Potsdam last week while some of the spring teams are slated to make their 2013 debuts this weekend.

MENS HOCKEY

The mens hockey team concluded their season with a SUNYAC playoff game versus SUNY Geneseo. The Ice Knights would shutdown the Bears in a 9-0 victory late Wednesday night. The game was scoreless after the first period of play as freshman goalie Austin Keiser (Dunwoody, Ga.) turned away all the shots he saw. However, Geneseo came alive in the second period and notched five unanswered goals. Potsdam would change goaltenders towards the end of the second. Yet, the Ice Knights continued to roll and four more goals sealed the victory. The contest marks the end of the careers of Potsdam seniors Matt Viola (Toronto, Ontario) and Brett Water (Uxbridge, Ontario). Keiser made 23 saves and junior goalie Shane Talarico (Greensburg, Pa.) finished with 33.

WOMENS HOCKEY

The womens hockey team faced Utica College in the first round of ECAC West tournament play. The Pioneers ousted the Bears with a 5-1 victory on Friday night. Utica would strike just two minutes into the contest and then find the back of the net again to hold a 2-0 lead after the first period. Junior forward Jessica Silveira (Brampton, Ontario) answered with an early power play goal in the second period to cut the lead to one. However, the Pioneers went on to notch three straight goals to secure the win. Senior goalie Jen Conophy (Glenmont, N.Y.) finished her career with 20 saves. The contest marked the end of careers of Bears seniors Conophy, Katie Komsa (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.), Brittany Westlake (Georgetown, Ontario) and Nadine Cunningham (Bow, N.H.).

SWIMMING/DIVING

The womens swimming and diving team broke several school records at the SUNYAC Championships in Buffalo, N.Y. this past week. On day one, the 200 free relay team of senior Liz Ringer (Queensbury, N.Y.), sophomore Emily Kanoza (Syracuse, N.Y.), senior Paige Montroy (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) and senior Kylie Barr (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) established a school record with a time of 1:42.23. They nearly matched the time with an eighth-place finish in the finals. The 400 medley relay team of Montroy, junior Ghena Binzer (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and sophomore Victoria Blakeslee (Gloversville, N.Y.) followed suit, shattering the previous record of 4:14.79 with time of 4:08.5. The team then bested the mark with a 4:08.12 time for a sixth place finish in the finals. Ringer also qualified for the B final in the 200 individual medley where she finished 13th with a time of 2:14.78, less than a second from the Bears record. On day two, Potsdams womens 200 medley relay team of Montroy, Binzer, Barr and Blakeslee shaved two seconds off the Bears previous record with a time of 1:53.45 to qualify for final. Ringer topped her own Bears record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:00.04. She then broke the record again in the B final with a time 0:59.28. Binzer set her own Potsdam record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:10.16 for a B final spot.

On the final day of competition, the womens 400 freestyle relay team of Barr, Kanoza, Blakeslee and Ringer reached the final with a school record time of 3:46.43. Blakeslee then set a Bears record in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 18:28.31. Ringer set a Potsdam record in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:15.39 to reach the B final.

The mens swimming and diving squad finished fifth at the SUNYAC Championships this past week. On Thursday, the mens 400 medley relay team of junior Richie Zimmerman (Victor, N.Y.), senior Alexander Taylor (Port Ewen, N.Y.), freshman Tyler Zapisek (Syracuse, N.Y.) and sophomore Dan Costa (Spencerport, N.Y.) took five seconds off the Potsdam mark with a time of 3.31.61. The group finished fourth in the final with a new record time of 3:30.68. The same four also teamed up for the mens 200 free relay, missing the school record by two-hundredths of a second, but still qualified for the final. In they finished fifth by matching their preliminary time of 1.27.24. Taylor also broke his own individual record in the 200 individual medley, swimming to a first place preliminary finish in 1:56. Zimmerman was just 0.57 seconds behind him. In final, Zimmerman edged Taylor 1:56.18 to 1:56.81 to finish fifth. Zapisek also won his 50 free preliminary heat with a time of 0:21.54 to qualify for the events final, where he finished fourth in 0:21.59.

On Friday, Zimmerman broke teammate Taylors school record by five seconds with a time of 4:12.05 in the mens 400 individual medley. Zimmerman then finished third in the final with another record mark of 4:10.11. Zapisek qualified for the 100 butterfly final with a seventh place preliminary finish in 0.52.11. He then set a school record with 0:51.65 time for a fourth place finish in the final. On Saturday, Taylor finished first in the 200 breaststroke preliminary, breaking his own SUNYAC meet record with a time of 2:06.48 and then was a second faster to top Geneseos Ken Pinks 2010 mark in the final. The mens 400 freestyle relay team of senior Richie Zimmerman, sophomore Dan Costa, Taylor and freshman Tyler Zapisek set the school mark in the final, finishing fifth in 3:10.98. Zapisek finished fifth in the 100 freestyle final with a time of 0:47.39, less than a second from the Potsdam record.

PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Senior Alexander Taylor is the Bears male performer of the week. Taylor went on to defend his previous titles in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes in record times at the SUNYAC Championships in Buffalo, N.Y. this past week.

The senior broke the Potsdam record and earned a SUNYAC title in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 0:57.61 on Friday night. The Port Ewen native then swam a conference record and a NCAA B qualifying time in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:05.48 late Saturday evening. Taylor set a new Potsdam record in the 200 IM and was part of the 400 medley and 400 free relay record breaking teams.

Senior Liz Ringer is the Bears female performer of the week. Ringer shattered two individual Potsdam records and two relay records during the SUNYAC Championships this past week. The Queensbury native now owns the Potsdam records in the 100 butterfly (0:59.28) and the 200 butterfly (2:15.39). She then teamed up to break the school records in the 200 free

(1:42.23) and 400 free (3:46.43) relays. Ringer also nearly missed the Bears record in the 200 IM by less than a second.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The womens softball team opens their season on Friday with a doubleheader on the road against Lyndon State in Queensbury, N.Y. at 1 p.m.

The mens lacrosse team begins their season on Saturday at Ithaca College. Faceoff is set for 1 p.m.

The womens lacrosse team kicks off their season on Wednesday, March 6, at home against cross-town rival Clarkson University at 4 p.m.

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